The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Egypt's
entire Sinai peninsula, excluding the resort areas of Sharm el Sheikh

The ban comes as the Foreign Office said it believes terrorists continue to plan attacks.

It will prevent Britons from travelling to several other popular Red Sea resorts, including Taba, where a bomb attack on a bus killed three tourists on Sunday; Dahab and Nuweiba. They will also be unable to take excursions outside Sharm el Sheikh to sites such as St Catherine's Monastery, Petra in Jordan, or farther afield.

The move follows the admission by Hazem el-Beblawi, Egypt's prime minister, that Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the militant group behind the bomb, is a threat to tourists, after it declared it was expanding its targets from the military and police to include the country’s “economic interests”.

Shock waves were also felt yesterday when a Twitter account some claimed was affiliated to the Sinai-based group, warned tourists to vacate the country within two days, although the tweet has been branded uncredible by tourism chiefs.

Areas within Sharm el Sheikh that are exempt from the ban include the airport and the tourist developments of Sharm el Maya, Hadaba, Naama Bay, Sharks Bay and Nabq.

Enhanced security has been put in place to protect the Sharm el Sheikh resorts, the Foreign Office said, while military personnel are carrying out checks at the airport and spot checks on vehicles elsewhere in Sharm.

Thomas Cook and Tui Travel, the parent company of Thomson and First Choice, had previously offered day trips to the UNESCO World Heritage attraction from Sharm El Sheikh.

The Foreign Office website states: “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is now advising against all but essential travel to South Sinai except for the area within the Sharm el Sheikh resort areas.

“Enhanced security measures are in place to protect the Sharm el Sheikh resort areas. Egyptian military are situated in Sharm el Sheikh international airport, at check points around the perimeter of Sharm el Sheikh and throughout the South Sinai Governorate. Routine security checks are being performed on entry into the airport and the police are carrying out vehicle checks in Sharm el Sheikh.”

It added that the threat of terrorism was “high” and that attacks on foreigners were a possibility.

"We believe that terrorists continue to plan attacks," it warned. "Attacks could be indiscriminate and occur without prior warning.

"Terrorists could target protestors and the Egyptian authorities. Attacks have mainly been aimed at the security forces, their facilities and other government buildings. You should take great care near these buildings. Attacks targeting foreigners can’t be ruled out.”

Existing advice to avoid all travel to the North Sinai region still stands.

Hisham Zaazou, Egypt's tourism minister, said investigations into the Sinai bombing are continuing. "We are ensuring that all security bodies are undertaking the necessary precautionary measures to guarantee that such an incident - to the extent possible - will not occur again."

Social unrest has dogged Egypt since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and seen annual tourism figures plummet by several million in the space of three years. Until now the popular Red Sea resorts had been largely unaffected, however this looks likely to change.

Tour operators will be obliged to offer anyone booked to a Sinai resort that is not Sharm el Sheikh, either a complete refund or an alternative itinerary to a different destination.

The latest advice also means independent travellers will find it very difficult to find travel insurance for the region outside of Sharm el Sheikh.